VoiceFirst

The voice app killer was subject of some debate (Twitter-bate) this week after an article by Bloomberg outlining that Amazon Alexa has 80 000 skills but This platform is almost four years old, and you can’t point me to one single killer app. Voicebot also published an article related to it with a slightly different take: killer apps are already here, what comes next?

What we are likely to see is a series of killer apps some of which may be localized to a particular surface. For example, voice interactive navigation may be a killer app for the car, but only a minor benefit for smart speakers and inconsistently used on mobile.

As per usual with Voicebot analysis, I believe this is factually true, but allow me to elaborate.Read More

Global marketing company The Mars Agency has partnered with US drinks retailer BevMo! to trial a voice-activated, digital whiskey shopping assistant, according to a post by The Spirits Business.

The Mars Agency’s Smart Aisle platform has the intention to assist shoppers with product selection, and offer information and educational tools at the point of purchase. The platform combines a voice-activated interface, artificial intelligence and LED shelf lights.

Smart Aisle will ask shoppers questions about their whiskey preferences and then filter the assortment down to three recommended bottles, reading out names and descriptions. Shelf lights highlight the locations of the recommended bottles.

The platform will be tested at BevMo! stores in California in Oakland, San Jose, Santa Clara, Mira Mesa, and Carmel Mountain until the end of March.

The latest test for the platform follows a trial in New York for a similar Smart Aisle whiskey selector. The two-month pilot resulted in a 20% year-on-year sales lift for the featured bottles and positive feedback from shoppers.

The partnership signals how voice technology continues to penetrate industries to enhance the customer experience. In this case a most debated one: the shopping experience overall. SmartAisle positive pilot and now expansion to California proves the aggregated value to consumers and might be the first of many smart ways to talk in stores. SmartAisle is described as a Voice Activated In-Store Shopper Tool. Last year The Mars Agency announced it as “the first virtual voice-powered shopping assistant, called “Bottle Genius Powered by Smart Aisle” using Alexa.”

Using Amazon’s Alexa Skills Kit (ASK) capabilities, the Bottle Genius skill for Alexa provides a personalized, voice-powered customer assistant that helps shoppers in Bottlerocket’s whiskey aisle. Customers can receive three curated whiskey recommendations after answering basic directional questions such as current favorite, purchase occasion, or desire to try something new. The service also provides tasting information as well as the opportunity to learn more about the brands.

“We believe voice technologies like the Bottle Genius skill powered by Smart Aisle will trump mobile as the preferred mode or interface for shoppers within the next five years”.

Rob Rivenburgh, CEO of The Mars Agency North America pointed out “Industry advances like Smart Aisle will continue to transform the way people shop for products and services with their favorite retailers.

The growing popularity of smart speakers like Amazon Echo and Google Home will lead to an explosion in voice-based shopping, according to a new market research report from OC&C Strategy Consultants out this week. The firm is bullishly predicting that voice shopping will grow to a whopping $40 billion-plus in 2022, up from $2 billion today across the U.S. and the U.K.

This sizable increase will be driven by Amazon’s smart speaker sales, in particular, the report said.

This forecast far exceeds earlier estimates of voice shopping revenues in the years ahead. While not an exact comparison, RBC Capital Markets recently predicted Amazon would generate $10 to $11 billion in sales from Alexa devices – including device sales themselves and voice shopping – by the year 2020.